Adjustable handle for curling, waving, and pressing irons



April 24, 195i F. PRICE 2,550,295

ADJUSTABLE HANDLE FOR CURLING, wAvING, AND

PRESSING IRoNs Filed sep-n. 18, 194e [N V EN TOR. FNNIE "PRICE:

Patented Apr.l 24, 1795.1

ADJUSTABLE HANDLE FOR CURLING, WAVING, AND PRESSING IRONS Fannie Price, New York, N. Y.

Application September 18, 1946, Serial No. 697,725

Claims.

permit the easy rotation and manipulation of the curling iron during certain operations upon the hair.

' It is another object of the invention to provide a curling iron with rotatable handle portionsA which can be, at the will of the operator, lmade freely rotatable, or less freely rotatable as by ratcheting; or may be locked to the handle hub portion for no rotation at all.

According to the invention, the curling iron is made of the usual two parts pivoted together `in scissors fashion.` Each'of the parts has a rearwardly extending handle hub portion on which there is journaled handle sleeves which when free permit easy rotation of the curling iron within the lock of gathered hair. On the end of the hub portion there is provided a locking nut whereby the handle sleevecan be forced forwardly against a shoulder portion and retained by friction against rotation as at times and during certain operations when it is not desirable to have the handles rotatable.

At other times it may be desirable to have the handles rotatable but not as freely as they would be with lthe one adjustment. In order to effect `this result, there is provided ratchet teeth on the shoulder portion and upon the sleeve which are so shaped that they may ride over each other'when extra rolling pressure is provided on the sleeve. these ratchetfportions separated but when the tension of the spring has been somewhatover# A spring will normally keep 4 come by a tightening `up of the locking nut at the end ofthe hub these ratchet teeth will ride over one another. A second spring of the split ring type is located at the free end of the sleeve and is adapted to be engaged by the locking nut.

When the locking nut is screwed upon the hub portion to overcome the axial tension of this latter spring and to flatten it out, the ratchet teeth will be locked in positive engagement.

end of the rod '22. a a an enlarged head portion 25 which serves as Fig. 1 is a perspective View looking down upon an opened curling iron. y

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken through the full length of the curling iron when the tongs thereof are closed upon one another Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of the curling iron. v

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal cross sectional view of the handle portion when the locking nut is adjusted to'permit free rotation of the handle sleeve. 1 a' Fig. 5 is a similar cross sectional View after the locking nut has been adjusted toflock the handle sleeve upon the handle against rotation.

Fig. 6 is a sideiview of a modifiedy form `of handle arrangement which includes the ratchet portion on the handle shoulder and on the sleeve and, as well, the two spr-ings located `at opposite ends of the handle sleeve.

Fig. 7 is a transverse cross sectional View of the handle arrangement shown in Fig.' 6 as viewed along line l-Jl, looking lin thedirection of the arrows thereof.

Referring now particularly to Figs. v1 to .5,15 represents a curling iron adapted for curling and waving hair having a pair ofY tong parts H and Each of the hub portions, I4 and l5, has av shoulder IS and a pilot portion 2l adapted to receive one end of the handle sleeve. Into the pilot portion 2l, there is projected a hub rod 22 carrying -on its outer end a locking nut 23V adjustable on threads 2li provided on theouter On the tip end of the rod is sleeve 26 can .turn at times when the lock nut 23 For further comprehension of the invention,

and of the objects and advantages thereof, referl ence will be had to the yfollowing description and raccompanying drawings, -and `to the appended teria] part of this disclosure:

When the sleeves are freely rotatable the curling iron can be easily rotated in the hand to give advantage to the operator when performing cer-4 tain operations upon thehair as when fr njrning the lock of hair into a curl. rEhe hand will grasp The rear end of the handle sleeve has a a 3 the two sleeves and the curling iron will be rotatable as a unit within the hand.

By tightening the lock nut 23, the sleeve I6 or I1 will be urged forwardly so that its forward end face 21 will be thrust into frictional and locked engagement with the shoulder portion I9. Thereafter the sleeve handles will not rotate. This will provide the usual curling iron, which is without rotatalbe handle sleeves.

Referring now to the form ofthe invention shown in Figs. 6 and '7, there is provided a handle sleeve 30 which has ratchet teeth 3l circumferentially spaced from one another on the forward end thereof. The shoulder I9 has ratchet teeth 32 thereon adapted to cooperate with the ratchet teeth 3| of the sleeve to retain the same in either ratchet engagement with one another or at times when the sleeve is fully thrust against the shoulder I9 to be locked with one another whereby to positively prevent rotation of the sleeve on the handle hub potrions. A spring washer 33 surrounds the handle hub portion located centrally of the ratchet teeth and will normally maintain the sleeve 30 removed from the shoulder I9. At the opposite end of the sleeve 33 and surrounding the hub portion, there is a spring washer 34 which is stronger than the spring 33.

A locking nut 35 is threaded to the end of the hub portion and when tightened so as to Y urge the spring 34 against the sleeve and to somewhat overcome the spring 33, will allow the ratchet teeth to have ratchet engagement with one another and permit the handle 3B to have rotation, though not so freely as when the ratchet teeth are clearly free of one another. The teeth are preferable rounded at their ends to permit rolling contact with one another. Further tightening of the locking nut 35 will compress the spring 34 and force the ratchet teeth into positive locking engagement so that no rotation of the sleeves will be had.

It will be apparent that there are times during the use of the curling iron upon the hair that each of the adjustments of the handle will have their particular use. The rotatable handles leave the iron free to be turned in the hands with the handles remaining stationary while the supporting rods turn in the handles eliminating frictional slipping of the handles within the hand with the consequent formation of blisters and other discomforts.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and lthe right is reserved to all changes and modifica- Vsurfaces of the handle sleeves and the hub portions.

2. A curling iron comprising parts pivoted together in scissors-like fashion and having hub portions at their respective rearward ends, handle sleeves journaled on the hub portions, a

the handle sleeve, said hub portions also having ratchet teeth in axial registration with the ratchet teeth of the handle sleeve, means for adjusting the sleeve so that the teeth of the respective parts can bear upon one another, and a spring included in said means to permit the axial shifting of the sleeve and separation of the ratchet teeth when the handle sleeves are acted upon by extra rotational force, and spring means for normally keeping the ratchet teeth out of engagement with one another.

3. A curling iron comprising parts pivoted together in scissors-like fashion and having hub portions at their respective rearward ends, handle sleeves journaled on the hub portions, a ratchet connection between the handle sleeves and the hub portions, said ratchet connection comprising ratchet teeth on the inner end of the handle sleeve, said hub portions also having ratchet teeth in axial registration with the ratchet teeth of the handle sleeve, means for adjusting the sleeve so that the teeth of the respective parts can bear upon one another, a spring included in said means to permit the axial shifting of the sleeve and separation of the ratchet teeth when the handle sleeves are acted upon by extra rotational force, spring means for normally keeping the ratchet teeth out of engagement with one another, said adjusting means comprising a thread formation on the hub portion, a lock nut axially adjustable thereon and said included spring being of the lock washer variety to permit lost motion between the lock nut and the handle sleeve, said locking spring being stronger than the spring adjacent the ratchet teeth, and said lock nut upon compressing the two springs adapted to force the sleeve axially on the hub portion so that the ratchet teeth will be held in locking engagement with one another and the handle sleeve will be at such times prevented from rotating.

4. In a device of the class described having a hub formed with a threaded opening and a shoulder conoentrically surrounding the opening, a rod having one end threaded into the opening of the hub, an enlarged head formed on the other end of said rod, said rod having a threaded portion adjacent said enlarged head, a tubular handle freely rotative on said rod, and a lock nut threadedly engaged on the threaded portion of said rod and of a length less than the distance between said enlarged head and the adjacent end of said tubular handle when the other end of said handle engages the shoulder of the hub, said lock nut being tightened against the adjacent face of said enlarged head so as to prevent its complete disengagement from said rod and so as not to interfere with the rotation of said handle relative to said rod, whereby the nut may be tightened against the adjacent end of said handle to clamp the handle against rotation v of the hub and engaged by said ratchet teeth of ratchet connection between the handle sleeves Y and the hub portions, said ratchet connection comprising ratchet teeth on the inner end of said handle, and means urging the handle into a position in which said teeth will be engaged but freeY to ride over one another in one direction of rotation of said handle.

5. In a device of the class described having a hub formed with a threaded opening and a shoulder concentrically surrounding the opening,

a rod having one end threaded into the opening f of the hub, an enlarged head formed on the other end of said rod, said rod having a threaded portion adjacent said enlarged head, a tubular handle freely rotative on said rod, and a lock nut threadedly engaged on the threaded portion of said rod and of a length less than the distance between said enlarged head and the adjacent end of said tubular handle when the other end of said handle engages the shoulder of the hub, said lock nut being tightened against the adjacent kface of said enlarged head so as to prevent itscomplete disengagement from said rod and so as not to interfere with the rotation of said handle relative to said rod, whereby the nut may be tightened against the adjacent end of said handle to clamp the handle against rotation between the adjacent faces of the shoulder of the hub and said lock nut, and means providing a ratchet connection between the adjacent faces of the shoulder of the hub and said handle, said ratchet means comprises ratchet teeth formed on the end of said handle adjacent the hub, complementary ratchet teeth formed on the shoulder of the hub and engaged by said ratchet teeth of said handle, and means urging the handle into a position in which said teeth will be engaged but free to ride over one another in one direction of rotation of said handle, said urging means cornprises a spring washer concentric on said rod and disposed between the adjacent faces of said lock nut and the adjacent end of said handle.

i Y Pattuglial PRICE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

